AUGUSTASIA BUSINESS OUTLOOK8Anthropic is in talks to acquire Israeli artificial intelligence startup Decart for around $6 billion, according to people familiar with the discussions. If completed, the deal would be one of the biggest acquisitions in the AI industry and would give Anthropic access to Decart's technology and engineering talent. The talks were first reported by Bloomberg and later confirmed by Reuters.The potential $6 billion acquisition comes as Anthropic looks for ways to expand its AI capabilities while keeping up with growing demand for its Claude chatbot and other products. Decart has attracted attention for its work in AI infrastructure, real-time video generation and technology designed to make AI systems run more efficiently. Starbucks Korea's operator, SCK Company, posted an operating loss in the second quarter of 2026 after sales were hit following backlash over a marketing campaign. The company reported an operating loss of 18.4 billion won ($13.4 million), compared with an operating profit of 40.3 billion won in the same period last year and 29.3 billion won in the first quarter of 2026. Starbucks Korea faced a sharp reversal in its financial performance during the quarter.The results came after Starbucks Korea faced criticism over its "Tank Day" campaign, which was launched around May 18, the anniversary of South Korea's 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising. The company stopped the campaign and issued an apology after the promotion was criticised for its reference to a sensitive period in the country's history. It also cancelled its regular summer promotion in June, affecting sales during the quarter. Bengaluru-based electric mobility startup Yulu has raised $93 million in a Series C funding round to expand its electric vehicle fleet and grow its presence in India's urban mobility and last-mile delivery market. The round includes $63 million in equity led by GEF Capital Partners and $30 million in debt.The funding comes as Yulu plans to significantly increase the size of its fleet. The company aims to grow from around 50,000 electric two-wheelers to 200,000 vehicles, while expanding its operations from 12 cities to 20 cities over the next year. It also plans to enter new areas, including e-commerce deliveries, bike taxis and express parcel services. Naver has invested in Panthalassa, a US-based startup working on floating AI data centers powered by ocean waves. The investment comes as demand for computing power continues to rise, pushing technology companies to explore new ways of building and powering data centers. Naver has not disclosed the amount invested in the startup.Panthalassa, founded in Oregon in 2016, is developing offshore platforms that combine wave-based power generation, computing systems and seawater cooling. The company wants to build offshore data centers that can operate at sea with less dependence on land-based power and infrastructure. It is also looking at satellite connectivity to link the offshore facilities with networks on land. ANTHROPIC IN TALKS TO ACQUIRE ISRAELI AI STARTUP DECART FOR $6 BILLIONYULU RAISES $93 MILLION TO EXPAND INDIA'S ELECTRIC MOBILITY BUSINESSSTARBUCKS KOREA SWINGS TO Q2 LOSS AFTER MARKETING BACKLASHNAVER BACKS WAVE-POWERED AI DATA CENTER STARTUP PANTHALASSANEWSROOM
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